The Killing Of A Sacred Deer's Ending Explained

The Killing Of A Sacred Deer is a psychological thriller from Yorgos Lanthimos, and here's the movie's unsettling ending explained.

The ending of The Killing Of A Sacred Deer often needs to be explained, including its ties to Greek mythology. Yorgos Lanthimos has already earned a reputation for his distinct, unsettling filmmaking style, which has been likened to Stanley Kubrick's early works. His movies, such as The Lobster or The Favorite, mix genres, baking in elements such as comedy, drama, tragedy, or horror without ever fully landing on a specific genre typing. Another signature of Lanthimos' work is the strange, almost robotic way characters speak to one another.

One of his most acclaimed films is 2017's The Killing Of A Sacred Deer, in which heart surgeon Steven is seemingly cursed by the son of a deceased patient, who first infiltrates his life and family before seeking some karmic justice for what happened to his father. The Killing Of A Sacred Deer includes Colin Farrell as Steven and a compelling Barry Keoghan as Martin, the unreadable teen who sets about dismantling his life until Steven makes an impossible choice.

It's clear from the offset that The Killing Of A Sacred Deer isn't going to end well for everyone, with events escalating around the film's midway point. Martin tells Steven that to balance out his father's death, Steven must choose one of his own family to kill. If he refuses, Steven's family will suffer through different stages of illness, like paralysis or bleeding from the eyes, before death. The movie sees Steven become increasingly desperate as his son Bob and daughter Kim fall ill to these myriad symptoms, ultimately leading to him and his wife Anna (Nicole Kidman) debating the impossible choice of killing one of their children.

What The Ending Of The Killing Of A Sacred Deer Really Means

The Killing Of A Sacred Deer's title comes from the Greek myth of Iphigenia, a daughter of King Agamemnon. When the latter kills a sacred deer belonging to goddess Artemis, in the Greek myth that inspired Sacred Deer, he is told to sacrifice Iphigenia to make things right. This story is referenced in the film itself, with director Yorgos Lanthimos being anything shy about the central thesis of his story here. Throughout the movie, there is also a running theme of the family pretending everything is fine — even when it clearly isn't — and Steven refusing to take responsibility for his actions. This is typified by the death of Martin's father, which may well have been an accident, but the fact that Steven had been drinking on the day of the operation muddies the waters of responsibility.

The Killing Of A Sacred Deer ends with Steven tying up his family when Bob starts bleeding from the eyes — the last stage before death. Steven then blindfolds himself and spins around with a rifle, firing randomly, so he still doesn't have to make a choice. This eventually results in Bob's death, and The Killing Of A Sacred Deer's ending scene has the family seated at dinner sometime later. Martin comes in and stares at them from the counter, and they all get up and leave, with each taking turns to look at Martin, highlighting the unworthy nature of his sacrifice (as he did not choose which child to offer).

The Killing Of A Sacred Deer’s Weird Dialogue And Reactions Explained

The A24 horror movie The Killing of a Sacred Deer features some offbeat dialogue coupled with bizarre emotional reactions — but there's a purpose to this. The strange dialogue and weird reactions elevate the movie from a regular drama to psychological horror. The intent behind the dialogue choices is much more narrative-focused. Each piece of spoken word attempts to heighten the tension and display the chilling nature and themes of the movie. The choice in wording packs more emotional heft into Steven and Martin's dealings and overall relationship. It's designed to make the plot of the A24 horror movie unsettling, and that it does. Strange turns of events, like Martin trying to set Steven up with his mother despite being married already, are punctuated by this asynchronous speech which adds more color to the situation. Another strange moment happens when Kim dispassionately tells her father that Bob is dying. Cold moments of interaction like this are what justify the difficult decision that Steven must make at the end of The Killing of a Sacred Deer. The movie would be a family drama and display fewer interesting psychological horror/thriller elements without the seemingly bizarre dialogue.

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